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New Poll Shows GOP Voters Want More Tea In Their Party

The Pew Research Center has released the results of an extensive survey of Republican voters. This poll clearly shows that, despite some prominent national GOP lawmakers saying we must lay low, the voters want Republicans to stand up and fight. The survey is as fascinating as it is detailed - and despite the report's claim that there is "little consensus over the party's future course", the answers given actually show a clear path forward that the leaders of the party would be wise to adopt. Indeed, despite too many eulogies to count, the Tea Party is alive and well in conservative politics.

First, the broad numbers:

Move in a more conservative or moderate direction on policy? By 54% to 40%, Republican and Republican-leaning voters want the party’s leaders to move further to the right. Not surprisingly, conservatives and those who agree with the Tea Party overwhelmingly favor moving in a more conservative direction, while moderates and liberals would like to see the party take more centrist positions. Yet the more moderate wing of the party is a minority generally, and makes up an even smaller share of the likely primary electorate. [emphasis added]

Regarding how to change the party, voters were overwhelmingly clear that the party not only needs to change its messaging, it needs to reconsider some positions. Which positions? We'll dive into that in a minute.

Before we do, let's discuss tactics. Only 27% of Republicans surveyed said that the party has not compromised enough. "On this tactical question the Tea Party stands apart: about half (53%) think party leaders have already compromised too much with Democrats, compared with just 22% of non-Tea Party Republicans." Those who identify with the Tea Party still make up almost 50% of the party or Republican-leaning independents, despite the article's spin trying to downplay the significance. (This conclusion is clear from the statement, "Overall, 27% of all GOP voters are non-Tea Party conservatives, while 29% are moderates who do not agree with the Tea Party.")

Now, let's discuss specific policy positions. From this chart in the article graphing voter responses, several clear trends emerge. Again, the article tries to spin the results in a way that connotes inner conflict in the party, but the numbers show otherwise. On every single policy position, Republican voters overwhelmingly think that the party either isn't conservative enough or is about right, with small minorities in every case saying that the party is too conservative.

The clear pattern that emerges from this survey is that the voters who put Republicans into office still want to see strong, principled conservatives who will take a stand and fight against the erosion of our values.

Well Said Sir. Add on top of all that, the Pew Research is VERY biased against Christianity, and generally attracts those who think more like them, so The actual numbers are likely even more dramatic than shown above. Their hidden agenda, it seems to me, is to skew the perceptions of Christians & conservatives toward their beliefs. And the Democrat media as a whole has been somewhat effective in moving a few in that direction. Thank God, by nature they have an uphill battle. As conservatives & Christians, many of whom are waking up in a big way, begin to get educated on the Principles & thinking of our Founders & the Constitutional tools they pioneered, more & more people will begin to understand the Critical Role that God, Christians, The Bible, & Churches play in maintaining a Free Republic & the Prosperity that naturally ensues. When Americans apply these principles, whether they are Christian or not, Freedom & Prosperity Reign, tempered by a Populace that exercises restraint, and Expects it from its Leaders. The Wise, Choose Leaders who excel in the use of Moral restraint. When a man Fears God, he is faithful to His fellow man. Those who do not know they will have to answer to God for their behavior, half no qualms about cheating their countrymen, when given the reins of power.

This is an open letter to William D. Ruckelshaus, Lee M. Thomas, William K. Reilly and Christine Todd Whitman. You, the former directors of the EPA who were appointed by Republican presidents, recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Times titled, A Republican Case for Climate Action.

On the FreedomCast today, Editor of RedState.com and Fox News contributor Erick Erickson joins me to discuss the conservative/libertarian divide, the importance of finding candidates that will fight their own side and the importance of winning over Ron Paul millennials and expanding the GOP tent.

In March, I reported on the first signs of new life from the National Republican Senatorial Committee after the disastrous 2012 election cycle, in which conservatives lost ground in the US Senate despite expectations of actually taking over that chamber of congress. Given the rise of new media and the stagnation of legacy media, the NRSC has taken the initiative to facilitate communications by creating a new blogger outreach position.

"Oh, no. Another post about the RNC rules. Let me see how fast I can click away from this..."Stop! I get it. Who cares about a political party's internal rules? And when I see "Rule 16(a)(2)" and "delegate’s affirmative duty under state law or state party rule", my eyes glaze over a little, too. Read on, for why you should care. This stuff determines who gets elected and how much freedom you continue to enjoy.

In developing the Growth and Opportunity Project's Autopsy of the 2012 election (pdf), the Republican National Committee correctly identified the reason for the party's loss, but failed to recommend a coherent strategy to reverse it.The report endorses primaries, campaign finance reform, and recommends various ways outside groups can get involved. Some of it's good, some of it's not so good, but in the end it's a half measure where a radical change is needed.

I imagine I'm like many of my peers and despite November election results, I was hoping that the GOP might learn a lesson or two and adjust accordingly. I was skeptical, but hopeful nonetheless. Then the 100 page report happened and confirmed what I knew in my gut - the GOP hasn't learned one damn thing. And so, my list of grievances. Were I in D.C., I'd nail them to door of the GOP headquarters in the most theatrical way possible, but I digress.1. Why was Reince re-elected?

On Monday, the RNC released a 100 page “autopsy” on the 2012 election. Despite the fact that hardly anyone, especially young people, are going to actually sit down and read a 100 page document about the Republican Party, it appears that the RNC is beginning to understand some of the problems it faces.

This week, the Republican National Committee released an "autopsy" on how the GOP lost the election in 2012 and where it can improve its branding going forward. William Jacobsen of Legal Insurrection noted that the 100 page report failed to mention New Media and bloggers as an opportunity to improve communications.

In the constant stream of pixels, ions, electrons and hot air that passes by at a constant and overwhelming rate that is akin to the speed of light, two articles caught my attention on Wednesday. The latest waste of attention is on the looming sequester cuts that are set to hit on Friday, that would have the 'devastating' effect of cutting $85 Billion in budget increases from a non-budget that is already over a trillion in the hole.